Seat-supporting means for willow chairs.



s. P. SULO.

SEAT SUPPORTING MEANS FOR WILLOW CHAIRS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, I917.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

JffdeaYer 1? 62/70. %19 dwe l M043 srnvns'rna r. SULO, or RAHWAY, NEW JERSEY.

SEAT-SUPPORTING MEANS FOR WILLOW CHAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Application filed August 2, 1917, Serial No. 184,032.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, Slnvnstrnn P. SULo, a subject of the Emperor of AustriaHungary, (but having taken out my first naturalization papers in the United States,) residing in Rahway, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Seat-Supporting Means for Willow Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to willow furniture and, more particularly, to means for properly supporting the seats of willow chairs, settees, and the like.

/Villow furniture has been manufactured for many years and is well-known, but experience has shown that the weakest part of a willow chair is the seat, which is almost always the first part of the chair to give out. As the structure of willow chairs is such that it is practically impossible to repair the seat without practically dismantling the chair, repairs of this character are seldom made, so that, as soon as the seat becomes broken, the chair is thrown away, while the remaining parts thereof may be perfectly intact and almost free from wear.

Despite the fact that these considerations have long been known, very little has been accomplished in obviating the same, so that, at the present time, practically nothing is done to reclude the wear of the seat, except the binding of wooden dowels to the under side thereof by lengths of willow in such manner that they extend transversely across the under side ofthe seat and are intended to distribute the weight throughout the entire seat. This arrangement, while serving to assist in prolonging the life of the seat to some extent, does not solve the problem, since the willows by means of which said dowels are secured to the seat finally become loosened or broken, and the seat very shortly breaks through.

With the foregoing in mind, the object of the present invention is to so construct a willow chair that a weight imposed upon the seat thereof will be almost entirely carried by the legs of the chair, and said seat will be supported throughout the greater portion of its extent by a relatively rigid construction which, in effect, renders the seat merely a cushioning member, said construction serving to carry the weight imposed thereon.

n the preferred form of the invention, the seat supporting means is in the form of intersecting trusses supported from the legs of the chair and intersecting under substantially the center of the seat, and these trusses are so formed as to distribute a weight imposed thereon substantially cqually to all four legs and relatively near the bases there of, whereby the seat is not only properly sustained and supported, but rigidity is imparted to the whole structure and the life of the chair is greatly lengthened.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, as well as the advantages thereof, will be. apparent from the hereinafter detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a willow chalr in perspective, the chair being tilted up so that the under side thereof may be seen, and associated with this chair is shown the preferred form of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that the construction shown is illustrative, only, and does not define the limits of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a well-known form of willow chair, embodying front legs B, rearlegs C, and a seat D constructed about the parallel side dowels d,as usual. The front legs B project upwardly beyond the seat and serve to support the forward ends of arms a, as shown. The chair here illustrated is shown as provided with the usual skirt E extending between adjacent legs and incorporated in the construction for esthetic purposes. Extendin transversely of the chair, beneath the ottom thereof, and near the front and back, are two dowel rods F which are secured to the under side of the seat by willows f, as usual.

In constructing a chair in accordance with this invention, the transverse dowel which generally extends across the center of the chair is omitted, and in the place normally occupied by this'dowel a metal strap G is positioned, but is secured at its opposite ends to the side dowels d by means of bolts, rivets, or other suitable devices. This strap G not only serves the purpose of precluding the side dowels d from being bent toward one another by a weight imposed upon the seat, but also has the further function of providing an anchorage for a pair of intersecting trusses H I, positioned beneath seat D, which trusses embody ties or tension members it i, and compression members h a", respectively. Ties k and 6 cross one another under substantially the center of the chair seat, extend diagonally beneath said seat, and are provided at their opposite ends with upturned portions which are secured to the diagonally opposite legs by rivets,

bolts, or other suitable means, as clearly cured at their opposite ends, as at-h 2' to their respective tie members, as clearly shown.

At the point Where'the tension members cross one another and'strap G, are alined apertures through which is passed a bolt or rivet j, which also extends through the head of a common king-post J, while thefoot of said king-postis secured by a rivet or bolt .3" to tie members it and i attheir ,point of crossing. Thus, the two trusses 7L and 2' intersect one another and have acommon king post J. V

The elements of the truss members are preferably formed from strap metal which is twisted in such manner as to lend maximum strength to the structure and preclude buckling thereof. It is for this reason that theking-post J is shown as provided with double twist, and each of the inclined portions OfthB- compression members are likewise formed. A structure constructed in this manner may be made of extremely.

light material and 1 still possess great strength. Itv will, nevertheless, embody;

some resiliency, so, that a person sitting down on the chair willnot engage an absolutely unyielding surface, but' the chair seat will givesli-ghtlyand be more comfortable than if-the structure were absolutely rigid.

It "will be understood that the horizontal portions of compression members, hand 2" lie in substantially a common plane parallel to, and: immediately adjacent, the under side of the seat D, so that, when a weight is imposed upon the seat, the slight down ward movement thereof will cause the same to engage with said portions of the com-';

pression members, whereby, in'practice, sub

stantially the entire under side of the seat v Copies dt-thispatent may be obtained for the prospective purchaser.

ing any transverse dowels F whatsoever, although these dowels are generally employed because of long usage and the impression of great strength which they give For these reasons, they are shown in the drawing, al-

though in practice they are not ir'ieehanically essential when the intersecting trusses are employed.

In the preferred embodiment of. the invention, tie members it and i are secured to the legs substantially equidistant from the seat and floor, and, when thus spaced from the seat, they not only'serve to supportthe same through the compression members, but simultaneously lend great rigidity to the whole chair structure, since wabbling 0r loosening of the legs, when thus secured to the ties, is absolutely impossible. Ac-

cordingly, the entire chair structure is improved by the supporting of the seat as specified. The employment of the present invention with willow chairs more than doubles thenormal lifev thereof and does not, in theleast, detract from the appearance of the chair, as the truss members are entirely concealed by the skirt portionsE,

with which willow furniture is practically always adorned.

Inthe foregoing description. and accompanying drawing, the present invention has been shown as applied to "a willow arm-v chair, but it will be understood that it may also be employed in willow settees or other willow or wicker furniture. ,Moreover,

while the presence of strap G for'a nchoring the upper portions .of the trusses atrtheir intersection, relative to the seat, is preferable, said strap is not absolutely essential.

Having thus. fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is; 7

Means for supporting the seat of willow or wicker chair embodying a pair of intersecting trusses supported. from the four legs of the chair and positioned to engage with the under 'side'of'the seat thereof and connecting means uniting the intersecting centers of the said trusses;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name-to thisspecification.

siLvn'srn'n P. sULo.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 1 

